


A Language All Their Own

by Lena_Bean



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: A smidgen of angst if you squint, But they are also the bane of my existence, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I love learning different languages, Leo learns how to read all over again, Leo needs a pep talk, Niles get your feet off the table, Not that that stops Niles from being Niles, One Shot, One does not simply read Brynhildr, So Leo is mood rn, Younger Leo and Niles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 13:36:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17447987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lena_Bean/pseuds/Lena_Bean
Summary: Brynhildr might have chosen him, but it does not give up its secrets so easily to its new master.Or, Leo gets thrown into a foreign language class. Niles helps by signing up for it too.





	A Language All Their Own

**Author's Note:**

> I have this personal headcanon that Brynhildr is written in what basically amounts to Latin, due to Nohr's strong Roman connotations. Do I know Latin? Absolutely not. Does it sound cool? Hell yes. Does my headcanon sound cool? I like to think so, but that's just me.
> 
> And that's where this piece came from. Essentially, I put Leo on the struggle bus. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.

_"Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand."  
-Oprah Winfrey _

\--------------------

The pages of the book felt oddly warm between Leo's fingers as he turned them slowly, carefully. 

Despite the tome having been written many, many years before his time, it hardly showed any signs of age. The pages weren't yellowed or brittle, the ink was as fresh as if it had just been penned, and the purple cover bore no tears or stains or wear, just an intricate black design, and a small jewel in the center that had lit up when Leo was handed the book by King Garon. His father had smiled ever so slightly (though whether it was a genuine smile or not, Leo couldn't tell), said the ancient royal regalia had accepted him as its wielder, then sent him away.

Xander had patted Leo on the back while congratulating him, the look on his face softer than usual, the near ever-present creases in his forehead gone for once. Camilla had squealed and gushed about how proud she was of her darling little brother for a solid five minutes to anyone who would listen, and crushed him in one of her hugs that had him smushed against her breasts. Elise had bombarded him with questions about the tome while grinning broadly and saying that she had first dibs on telling Corrin when they next visited the Northern Fortress.

The moment had been great for Leo, a moment where he no longer stood in Xander's shadow and was recognized for his own talents... but now, he was beginning to have his doubts.

He couldn't read the book.

Brynhildr, as the tome was called, was written in ancient Nohrian, the only evidence the book was as old as it was in the first place. And while Leo could read ancient Nohrian, he'd only started studying it fairly recently and was only intermediate level at most, definitely no expert in all of its rules and nuances. And to make the situation worse, the sentence structure and grammer and spelling in the book was unlike anything the teenage mage had ever seen. It threw many of the rules he knew out the window. Forget casting a spell with it- he had to translate the damn thing first.

And so, he had closeted himself away in his favorite haunt, the castle library, an impressive thing with shelves that reached all the way to the high ceiling, shelves packed with thousands upon thousands of books, new and old, rare and common, covering millions of topics. The squishy couches were almost as comfortable as Leo's own bed, and the thick carpets seemed to absorb all sound so one could read or study without being distracted, a scholar's dream come true. Leo had set up camp at his favorite couch, a black one for two right next to a large window in the back of the room, one that looked over the castle courtyard. Some rare late afternoon sunlight filtered through the glass as Leo studied his new tome. Several other books lay open on the table in front of him, with notes on understanding ancient Nohrian, along with a quill, a pot of ink, and several sheets of heavy parchment, where the young prince was taking his own notes in thin yet elegant handwriting.

As much as Leo found solace in the library, he had been in it all day at this point, and had only managed to translate the introduction, much less a spell. He ran a hand through his blonde hair- something he had been doing more of as the day dragged on and he got more frustrated- before sighing and putting the book down on his knees. He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"At this rate, I'll be summoned into battle and won't even be able to fight!" he grumbled loudly, glaring at his new weapon around his fingers. "How humiliating. A mage that can't even cast a spell to save his life..."

"Lord Leo, may I ask what is troubling you?"

Leo jumped, Brynhildr nearly sliding to the floor before he caught it at the last second. He turned to glare at whoever had spoken, only for his angry scowl to slip when he realized it was only Niles. His retainer was studying him with concern a few feet away, next to a shelf full of books on archery.

"Ah, Niles. When did you get here?" Leo placed Brynhildr on the table in front of him, marking the page number he was on before closing it.

"Oh, a few minutes ago. Hardly anybody was coming in the bathhouse, and it got quite boring after a while." The outlaw grinned, his one bright blue eye gleaming with mischief, an expression the prince was all too familiar with. Leo sighed, but before he could reprimand or say anything, Niles spoke again, the smile gone as quickly as it had appeared. "But that's hardly important. You look rather frustrated, my lord. May I ask why?"

Leo was quiet for a long moment, looking uncomfortable as he looked anywhere but at Niles. The floor suddenly became very interesting. The outlaw waited patiently for him to answer. Or not.

Eventually Leo shifted his gaze to look out the window, eyes half-closed against the orange light. "You know that Father gifted me with a regalia of Nohr yesterday, correct?"

"I do."

"Well, I've run into a... predicament." Leo's voice was quiet, but Niles had superb hearing. "The tome is written in ancient Nohrian, but the way the actual sentences are composed is like nothing I've ever seen. I can't even read it. I'm going to have to translate the book before I can even begin to practice with it, much less take it into battle with me. And that could take ages- time I don't have. What if a war with Hoshido starts? What if I'm called to fight or lead soldiers?" He closed his eyes, shoulders just barely slumping. There was another lengthy pause.

"... May I join you, Lord Leo?"

Leo's eyes flew open in surprise as he looked back at Niles. The archer didn't look disappointed in his lord, or incredulous that the prince had run into something he didn't think he could solve; he merely looked curious and thoughtful.

Leo swallowed. "Go right ahead."

Niles walked over and sat beside Leo, his dark blue traveling cloak brushing against the mage as he leaned forward to examine his notes. There were tiny black dots in the corner of the pages from where Leo had tapped his quill there while he was thinking. Some lines had marks through them where Leo had messed up. 

"Niles?" Leo asked slowly. The archer hummed to let him know he was listening. "Do you know how to read this?"

Niles chuckled a bit absentmindedly and shook his head. "Not in the slightest. I didn't exactly have much time to study ancient Nohrian, considering my... upbringing."

Leo flinched. Of course, he should have considered that. It felt like a stone had dropped in his stomach. "That was thoughtless of me. I apologize."

"Don't apologize, my lord. Think nothing of it." Leo didn't answer. Niles tilted his head so he could look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Really, my lord." His voice was quieter, more solemn. "I know you were simply wondering. You have a curious, insightful mind- I cannot get offended at that."

Leo nodded mutely as he began tracing the black design on Brynhildr with a finger. Niles pulled one of the other open books on the table closer so he could compare Leo's notes to what was written in it. After a few relatively silent minutes (bar the rustling of pages), Leo opened Brynhildr again, switching to tracing his finger underneath lines of text. His eyes landed on two simple spells that he had somehow missed, one above the other on the same page.

_"Resurgemus..."_ he murmured to himself. No sooner had he said the last syllable did Niles jump slightly beside him.

In his haste to get Leo's attention, he forgot to tack on his title. "Leo, the quill..."

Leo looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the quill he had been using to take notes with was hovering a foot above the table, weightless, surrounded by dark purple light. 

"Gravity manipulation," he breathed. "That's right, I nearly forgot what this weapon did... this tome has the power to control gravity as I see fit." He glanced back down to see that Brynhildr was glowing purple as well. He scanned the page quickly to find the counterspell. _"Cadere."_

The purple glow disappeared, and the quill floated slowly back down to the table. Niles watched its descent, smiling slightly. "If that were a human, and if you took them higher, the return to Earth would be an... unpleasant experience."

"Indeed." Leo thumbed swiftly through the book, spotting more spells as he went, but he didn't risk saying them out loud. He wasn't about to destroy the library- or mess them up and do worse. Suddenly, he paused. "Niles."

"Yes?"

"How would you like to help me translate this book?"

Niles turned and looked directly at him, frowning slightly in confusion. "May I ask why, my Lord? I truly don't know ancient Nohrian."

Leo smiled for the first time since Niles had entered the library, a small but confident smile. "To be truthful, seeing just a glimpse of what this tome can accomplish has restored my determination to understand what it is trying to tell me. This tome chose me- it has high expectations of me, as does my Father and my siblings. I intend to live up to these expectations."

"And I want you to discover this tome with me, Niles." He drummed his fingers on the table, looking thoughtful. "From a strategic standpoint, it would be highly efficient for you to learn some of the spells of this book and their effects. That way, you can react properly when I cast them on the battlefield. Perhaps I could launch opponents up and suspend them in the air, and you could pick them off with your bow. They would be easy targets."

Niles smirked, looking as pleased as if he had just shot down an enemy with his bow right then and there. "I like that train of thought."

"But also..." Leo looked directly at his retainer, his chocolate brown eyes unexpectedly warm. "I don't want your quality of life to be hindered by what you experienced in your past. I want you to be able to say that you understand this language, and more." He paused, then continued in a smaller voice that sounded almost vunerable- very, very rare for the Nohrian prince. "And I don't think I can learn this all alone. I'd rather not learn it alone, honestly. So... will you help me?"

Niles blinked and looked back at the books and notes that littered the table, at Brynhildr sitting in the middle of it all, no longer glowing, but pulsing with magic all the same. He reached out and picked up the quill, absentmindedly rubbing the large black feather with his long, rough fingers. Leo adjusted his headband (a nervous habit) as he waited for an answer.

After several moments, Niles nodded, that mischievous grin from earlier spreading quickly across his face. "It would be my honor, Lord Leo. Let's pry this book wide open."

_Later that evening, Xander and Camilla would find retainer and lord still at the library- Leo fast asleep with his face buried in Brynhildr's pages, a dark blue cloak swung over his shoulders, and Niles with his feet propped up on the table (which technically wasn't allowed) as his eye slid across the pages of a book dedicated to the basics of ancient Nohrian._

**Author's Note:**

> If I could live in that library I would be the happiest person alive.
> 
> _Resurgemus_ is Latin for "rise", while _cadere_ is Latin for "fall". I checked their meanings at least three times before I put them in the story because foreign languages give me anxiety. 
> 
> While the book is in "Latin", you can think of its structure as something akin to Old English. If you've never seen Old English, go look up the original script of Beowulf and try to make a coherent sentence out of it. Chances are you won't be able to, and I don't recommend trying. That's what Leo is dealing with.
> 
> Just like my piece "Hurricane", a less polished version of this story can be found on FE Amino under my username, Lena.


End file.
